diff --git a/src/mol-geo/geometry/size-data.ts b/src/mol-geo/geometry/size-data.ts
index 87211474c561d24aeb46593b057698abd7948e00..f0c4d8e7c597f1a181cfc5ca1737b62a6b9840c0 100644
--- a/src/mol-geo/geometry/size-data.ts
+++ b/src/mol-geo/geometry/size-data.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,24 @@ export function createSizes(locationIt: LocationIterator, sizeTheme: SizeTheme<a
     }
 }
 
+export function getMaxSize(sizeData: SizeData): number {
+    const type = sizeData.dSizeType.ref.value as SizeType
+    switch (type) {
+        case 'uniform':
+            return sizeData.uSize.ref.value
+        case 'instance':
+        case 'group':
+        case 'groupInstance':
+            let maxSize = 0
+            const array = sizeData.tSize.ref.value.array
+            for (let i = 0, il = array.length; i < il; ++i) {
+                const value = array[i]
+                if (maxSize < value) maxSize = value
+            }
+            return maxSize
+    }
+}
+
 export type LocationSize = (location: Location) => number
 
 const emptySizeTexture = { array: new Uint8Array(1), width: 1, height: 1 }
diff --git a/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres-builder.ts b/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres-builder.ts
index 39db630f863a092be67177d09d89afce46990012..b4fb62c2ade317ad82e988e6e5db2cf4a36580c5 100644
--- a/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres-builder.ts
+++ b/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres-builder.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ const quadMapping = new Float32Array([
     1.0, -1.0
 ])
 
-const quadMappingIndices = new Uint16Array([
+const quadIndices = new Uint16Array([
     0, 1, 2,
     1, 3, 2
 ])
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ export namespace SpheresBuilder {
                     ChunkedArray.add2(mappings, quadMapping[i * 2], quadMapping[i * 2 + 1])
                     ChunkedArray.add(groups, group)
                 }
-                ChunkedArray.add3(indices, offset + quadMappingIndices[0], offset + quadMappingIndices[1], offset + quadMappingIndices[2])
-                ChunkedArray.add3(indices, offset + quadMappingIndices[3], offset + quadMappingIndices[4], offset + quadMappingIndices[5])
+                ChunkedArray.add3(indices, offset + quadIndices[0], offset + quadIndices[1], offset + quadIndices[2])
+                ChunkedArray.add3(indices, offset + quadIndices[3], offset + quadIndices[4], offset + quadIndices[5])
             },
             getSpheres: () => {
                 const cb = ChunkedArray.compact(centers, true) as Float32Array
diff --git a/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres.ts b/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres.ts
index a460d763912dd2cf521ce1f12ddbd2132c9062e6..84c79a72d2c75702eb278c815d08c4d238b273e3 100644
--- a/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres.ts
+++ b/src/mol-geo/geometry/spheres/spheres.ts
@@ -11,12 +11,15 @@ import { TransformData, createIdentityTransform } from '../transform-data';
 import { LocationIterator } from 'mol-geo/util/location-iterator';
 import { Theme } from 'mol-theme/theme';
 import { SpheresValues } from 'mol-gl/renderable/spheres';
-import { createColors, createValueColor } from '../color-data';
+import { createColors } from '../color-data';
 import { createMarkers } from '../marker-data';
 import { calculateBoundingSphere } from 'mol-gl/renderable/util';
 import { ColorNames } from 'mol-util/color/tables';
 import { Sphere3D } from 'mol-math/geometry';
-import { createSizes, createValueSize } from '../size-data';
+import { createSizes, getMaxSize } from '../size-data';
+import { NullLocation } from 'mol-model/location';
+import { UniformColorTheme } from 'mol-theme/color/uniform';
+import { UniformSizeTheme } from 'mol-theme/size/uniform';
 
 /** Spheres */
 export interface Spheres {
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ export namespace Spheres {
 
         const counts = { drawCount: spheres.sphereCount * 2 * 3, groupCount, instanceCount }
 
-        const padding = 5 // TODO get max sphere size
+        const padding = getMaxSize(size)
         const { boundingSphere, invariantBoundingSphere } = calculateBoundingSphere(
             spheres.centerBuffer.ref.value, spheres.sphereCount * 4,
             transform.aTransform.ref.value, instanceCount, padding
@@ -97,39 +100,16 @@ export namespace Spheres {
     }
 
     export function createValuesSimple(spheres: Spheres, props: Partial<PD.Values<Params>>, colorValue = ColorNames.grey, sizeValue = 1, transform?: TransformData): SpheresValues {
-        const p = { ...PD.getDefaultValues(Params), ...props }
-        if (!transform) transform = createIdentityTransform()
-        const instanceCount = transform.instanceCount.ref.value
-        const groupCount = 1
-        const color = createValueColor(colorValue)
-        const size = createValueSize(sizeValue)
-        const marker = createMarkers(instanceCount * groupCount)
 
-        const counts = { drawCount: spheres.sphereCount * 2 * 3, groupCount, instanceCount }
-
-        const { boundingSphere, invariantBoundingSphere } = calculateBoundingSphere(
-            spheres.centerBuffer.ref.value, spheres.sphereCount * 4,
-            transform.aTransform.ref.value, instanceCount, sizeValue
-        )
-
-        return {
-            aPosition: spheres.centerBuffer,
-            aMapping: spheres.mappingBuffer,
-            aGroup: spheres.groupBuffer,
-            elements: spheres.indexBuffer,
-            boundingSphere: ValueCell.create(boundingSphere),
-            invariantBoundingSphere: ValueCell.create(invariantBoundingSphere),
-            ...color,
-            ...size,
-            ...marker,
-            ...transform,
-
-            padding: ValueCell.create(sizeValue),
-
-            ...Geometry.createValues(p, counts),
-            uSizeFactor: ValueCell.create(p.sizeFactor),
-            dDoubleSided: ValueCell.create(p.doubleSided),
+        if (!transform) transform = createIdentityTransform()
+        const locationIterator = LocationIterator(1, transform.instanceCount.ref.value, () => NullLocation, false, () => false)
+        const theme: Theme = {
+            color: UniformColorTheme({}, { value: colorValue}),
+            size: UniformSizeTheme({}, { value: sizeValue})
         }
+        const p = { ...PD.getDefaultValues(Params), ...props }
+
+        return createValues(spheres, transform, locationIterator, theme, p)
     }
 
     export function updateValues(values: SpheresValues, props: PD.Values<Params>) {
@@ -139,9 +119,10 @@ export namespace Spheres {
     }
 
     export function updateBoundingSphere(values: SpheresValues, spheres: Spheres) {
+        const padding = getMaxSize(values)
         const { boundingSphere, invariantBoundingSphere } = calculateBoundingSphere(
             values.aPosition.ref.value, spheres.sphereCount * 4,
-            values.aTransform.ref.value, values.instanceCount.ref.value, values.padding.ref.value
+            values.aTransform.ref.value, values.instanceCount.ref.value, padding
         )
         if (!Sphere3D.equals(boundingSphere, values.boundingSphere.ref.value)) {
             ValueCell.update(values.boundingSphere, boundingSphere)